Meet Them Mondays

It's sad and scary to think every woman I have ever met has a story about being harassed at some point in her life. This was no different for MYRLANDE ETIENNE, aka Mimi. During a pandemic layoff combined with a dangerous encounter she set out to start a business, Myet Protection, that would not only empower her but her surrounding community. Myet Protection her company, sells alternative tools to guns for self-protection. She also educates women, and men on how to use stun guns, knives, pepper spray, and how to overcome life-threatening situations. In this episode, you'll hear us talk about uncomfortable encounters that we'll never forget as well as her journey from corporate professional to a full-time entrepreneur. Follow her @MyetProtection on social media or MyetProtection.biz and @MeetThemMondays.

When I first met Zi it was clear that he was experiencing something I could never understand. Zi is from Afghanistan, a place that has completely been lost to the Taliban, an extremist religious group that rules under Sharia law - and the place where his immediate family lives. It was a gut-wrenching conversation, but one that needed to be had ... He is trying to communicate as much as possible with them and trying to bring his sister to America. If you know anything about the Taliban is that women and girls are oppressed and erased. They have no basic human rights. If you feel inclined to, the link for his sister's GoFund Me is in the bio of @meetthemmondays account on IG. In this episode, you'll hear him talk about life in his country and his early experiences with death and war. It's not an easy listen, but it will humanize a place we hear so much about, but barely know.

Kris D. is a visual artist and photographer and the co-creator behind the artist talk series Ok Art And Coffee. She's also the founder of the femme artist magazine Warriors Within Collective and the entrepreneur and founder of Kris D. Photography. In this episode, we get candid about taking naked pictures, the time she exposed her butt hole for art, and the beauty of her creative partnership with her husband. For more information or to book a session find her on IG @KrisD_22, @krisdphotography_, @warriorswithincollective and follow the podcast @MeetThemMondays and @CallHerChristian

Jordan The Jeweler is Houston's favorite icy artist but based on his Instagram you would never know it. The young entrepreneur has been in the industry for the last three years but has worked with some of the cities top hip hop creatives. In this episode, he breaks down how being a black jeweler has its challenges, the interview on VICE changed his life forever, and how a Mexican master jeweler took him under his wing and taught him the trade. Get to know him more on IG @JordanTheJeweler, Follow @CallHerChristian, and search @MeetThemMondays for more.

David Rodriguez is known as the man behind The Tipping Point vintage clothing store and coffee shop but few know his story. The chef-turned entrepreneur has been running his business for over 15 years and is a legend in Houston culture. The Mexican immigrant who relocated to Houston in his teen years experienced homelessness at the tender age of six and has since then created success out of his troubled past. In this episode, David talks about a business relationship that turned sour, his hustler mentality, his love for community, and the one move he made that saved his store and got him through the pandemic. Follow @david_tipping, @thetippingpoint_coffee, @thetippingpointstore, @callherchristian @meetthemmondays on Instagram

Francisco Guerrero is the host of the Life Without Limits Podcast. He's a father, a friend, and a person on the human experience just like the rest of us. In his podcast series, he interviews people from all walks of life- from rappers to entrepreneurs and makeup artists to screenplay writers. All these people have a story but each time Francisco uncovers new layers to their story and their work. Life can have its limits if you let it but this podcast brings together people from all walks of life that choose to overcome life's obstacles and win daily. Make sure to follow @LifeW0Limits1 on Instagram and check out the Life Without Limits podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Follow @MeetThemMondays and @CallHerChristian on IG.

June Da Barber is Monster Energy's first official barber but prior to that opportunity he was cutting hair in a garage and all over Southeast Houston. The barber who has been in the game since he was 16 tells us about manifesting his partnerships, business ventures, collaborations and how ultimately his goal is to spend less time at the shop. June is also the owner of apparel brand SUCIOWORLD and founded clipper beasts a platform to showcase the best underground barbers as well as a way to unify the barber community. Stay in touch with him on ig @JuneDaBarber, @ClipperBeasts, @HTXSucio and check out more episodes on Apple Podcasts, YouTube and Spotify.

There is something so badass about seeing women on motorcycles. In this episode we hear from Carolina Paredes one of the co-founders of the Houston Litas. The Litas are a motorcycle group founded in 2015 by Jessica Wise in Salt Lake City, Utah. Paredes talks about the spiritual aspect of riding, empowering women through motorcycles, and the reality of the dangers that come when getting on two wheels. The litas “inspire and empower women by showing them they can do whatever they set their mind to, whether that’s riding a motorcycle, or building an empire. They aren’t afraid to go against the grain and shatter stereotypes in the process.” Follow Carolina on all social platforms @MadeByCarolina, @TheLitas @HoustonLitas on Instagram, or check out thelitas.co for more information.

Everyone talks about working for themselves, but few know the journey of starting your own business. Jorge Casanova @Jorgey co-founded @Diosbrand “Did It Ourselves” with his partner LES aka @steakxshrimp the Houston-based street style brand tells all about taking an idea and seeing it through its inception, surviving the pandemic, and putting on for his Houston community. He also shares the best business advice he's ever been given and the one piece of advice he swears by on a daily. For more information or to check out their apparel visit diosbrand.com

Rican McGusty aka DJ Big Reeks isn't your typical DJ. The civil engineer almost didn't make it as a creative, but after getting laid off from his corporate job his life took a turn. Now the Houston native is known around the city for his vibey sets and as the founder of The Waxaholics, a collective he started back in 2012 of vinyl-only dj's. In this episode, you'll hear him tell the story of the person that gave him that push to become a full-time creative, being the son of immigrant parents, and how he quiets out the noise as a public figure. Make sure to give him a follow on IG @DJBigReeks & @TheWaxaholics

Cristina Ramos Greene recently penned the book Embrace That Girl: A Love Story With The Girl In The Mirror. The book retraces Cris' search for meaning, love and gainful employment. She navigates love triangles and career letdowns, feigns bilingualism, and delves into tarot, superstition and Santeria (it's amazing what it takes to date in Miami). Along the way, Cris begins to realize an important lesson: there is no way to get out of doing the work yourself. It's not easy, but it's worth it. To support the book head to amazon and check out more of her writing at TheCrisRamos.com or follow her on IG @CrisRGreene

It's February, which means it's Black History Month. For this episode of Meet Them Mondays we wanted to talk about the Latino roots in Black culture. It's important to celebrate Black History Month, but we also have to highlight the various human experiences of what being Black is. With Miami being a predominantly Latino city, it made sense to celebrate the Afro-Latinx contributions in South Florida. In this episode, we hear from Jasmely De La Cruz Jackson, entrepreneur and owner of Miami's oldest established Dominican night club and restaurant Club Tipico Dominicano, and Carmen Dorval a medical and non-profit professional. Both women are Dominican but with very different yet similar stories of growing up Black and Latina. Follow all the voices of this episode @ClubTipico / @CarmensitaXoXo @MeetThemMondays and host @RoamFreeWrites on Instagram and for more episodes head to RoamFreeWrites.com for more.

It's beautiful to see how passionate the youth is about climate change. They created a movement that has galvanized masses to understand what is happening with the planet. In this episode, you'll meet John Paul Mejia and Gabriela Rodriguez two youth climate warriors who work with The Cleo Institute. Cleo is a non-profit, non-partisan organization exclusively dedicated to climate change education, engagement, and advocacy in Florida. They're also members of GenCLEO's Youth Empowerment program, which engages and empowers high school and college students, as well as young professionals, to take climate action. Our other guest is Lina Castañeda, a self-proclaimed minimalist whose journey to motherhood sparked a complete change in lifestyle and led her to a non-toxic and natural lifestyle. She also represents The Surfrider Foundation. Surfrider is dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world's ocean, waves, and beaches through a robust activist network. They broke down how climate change has affected us, where we stand and what actions we can take now along with our friends, family, and community to make impactful decisions on climate. Follow them on socials at @johnpaulmejia & @gabionearth of @cleoinstitute and @minima.lina of @surfridermiami . Follow host Christian Portilla @RoamFreeWrites and @MeetThemMondays

For our first show of 2020, we wanted to bring you an inspirational fitness episode to start the year off in the right state of mind. Our guests are Crystal Ram, the designer and entrepreneur behind activewear line Habit Activ and Julia Lopez, the founder and executive director of Fit Miami Fest, with the inaugural event happening at the end of the month. Both women spoke about their fitness journeys, how shame and generational traumas affect our fitness and body image, and how they got started on their journies of wellness while building their brands. You'll also hear host Christian Portilla get vulnerable about being a Latina and the extremes women of color go to, to fit unrealistic beauty standards. Follow all the voices of this episode @HabitActiv / Crystal_Activ @FitMiamiFest @MeetThemMondays and host @RoamFreeWrites on Instagram and for more episodes head to RoamFreeWrites.com for more.

Governor Ron DeSantis recognized October 15, as National Latino AIDS Awareness Day in Florida. Latino communities are significantly affected by HIV in Florida. In 2018, 34 percent of the 4,906 persons newly diagnosed with HIV in Florida were Latino (compared to 25 percent who were white and 39 percent who were black). Needless to say HIV and its stigma have disproportionately affected our POC communities. In this episode, you'll be meeting two of South Florida’s leaders in the fight Mario Schauer and Paul Seligmann authors, activists and educators in ending the stigma and bringing awareness to HIV. For more information visit MarioSchauer.com or follow him on socials at @MarioSchauer and connect with Paul Seligmann at CareResource.org. Follow host @RoamFreeWrites or @MeetThemMondays

There is a lot of healing to be done in the area of sex and communities of color/ women embracing their sexuality. After much demand we finally hosted our Meet Them Mondays Sex Show with Sex Wellness Educator @Vikerrious and Sexologist @Tyna_tx of @Totality_Wellness . We spoke about stigmas, masturbation, kink, embracing your inner slut, healing through tantra, toys, how much sex we’re really supposed to be having and answering all the questions submitted via the @MeetThemMondays IG page. Aside from this episode, we invite you to to create a respectful dialogue when it comes to asking for what you want, when you want it, in sex. For more information visit Vikerrious.com or email Christina at drcraphael26@gmail.com the Facebook group mentioned in this episode is Clinicians of Color in Private Practice. To connect with host Christian Portilla email info@roamfreewrites.com or @RoamFreeWrites

Living under the Trump administration has put a lot of pressure on people to wake up and see what racist policies can do to a nation and to thousands of people - particularly immigrants. Friends of Miami-Dade Detainees is a visitation program run by Bud Conlin and assisted by Wendy King. Through FOMDD, people of the community can visit an immigrant detained at the Krome Detention Center in Homestead, Florida. I went and saw the facility for myself and visited with an immigrant from Sudan who grew up in the United States and found himself on a wrong path. He was charged for a crime, and his immigration status led to him being detained because of his status. It was cold, we were searched, and the group of five women who went with me all went to visit a detainee. One girl coincidentally ended being paired with a detainee whom she went to high school with. That was wild. The facility is a bit intimidating but it's not impossible to attend, in fact if you're documented and have the time, it is your responsibility to be a watchdog of your community and schedule a visitation. For more information visit https://floridaimmigrant.org/our-work/detentions-deportations/visitation-programs/friends-of-miami-dade-detainees/

Every day in the news, we hear about a new Trump policy that is going to deter immigrants from coming to the United States. With Florida being a border state, it was imperative to have the people doing the groundwork in our community on Meet Them Mondays. On this episode you'll be hearing from  Maria Asuncion Bilbao of United We Dream,  Paula Munoz of Florida Immigrant Coalition & Lis-Marie Alvarado of American Friends Service Committee three powerful Latinxs who organize, educate and galvanize the community when it comes to immigration rights and action. Please note this show is both in English and Spanish*** For more information and to find immigration resources visit : https://floridaimmigrant.org/ https://unitedwedream.org/ https://www.afsc.org/ Follow the Organizations on Instagram: @FlimMigrant @UnitedWeDream @AmericanFriendsService To connect with the Women in the episode : @PaulaBear92 @MariaAsuncionBilbao For more episodes visit RoamFreeWrites.com

This episode was inspired by Father's Day a holiday that isn't always so positively viewed among people. Everyone has a story related to their parents, and for this show, we wanted to hear from people who grew up with absent fathers. Artist Jenny Perez and Andres Gil were on the show to share their stories about their relationships with their dads. For Jenny, it was the inconsistent presence of her father in her life, for Andres, it was missing out on a relationship with his dad for the first twelve years of his childhood because of incarceration. These stories have pain; they're real, and they're vulnerable. For those of you out there that grew up without a dad, lost a dad or are healing from those relationships- this one is for you. Follow our guests on IG @JennyPerezArt and @Beast_By_Dre. The host is Christian Portilla @RoamFreeWrites or @MeetThemMondays for more information visit roamfreewrites.com

I first met Steven Snyder summer of 2016, and my spirit was touched by her story. Steven was in Miami for TransArt, the first art festival of its kind for transgender creatives only* and I was there to cover the story for the Miami Herald. She and other artists were showcasing their work at The Betsy Hotel in Miami Beach. Hers adorned the dining room walls where we all ate and I remember her impeccable style caught my eye instantly. There was something about Steven that inspired so much love in me. She has this gentle energy about her, a true nurturer, and I couldn't help but be drawn by it. This is the story about her life as an artist and her journey from male to female, it's story that's been in the making for over 60 years and I am so proud and humbled to share it with you on #MeetThemMondays. Stay in touch with Steven on Instagram @StevenSnyderArt, Facebook - Steven Snyder or support her art on www.StevenSnyderArt.com . For more information visit roamfreewrites.com or follow host Christian Portilla @RoamFreeWrites.